Technical Field
Embodiment described herein relate to methods, systems, and apparatuses for audio/video synchronization using a device with a camera and a microphone.
Background Art
Audio/video (AV) entertainment systems typically have at least three or four devices connected to a television. These devices may include source devices (i.e., devices configured to transmit an audio and/or video signal (e.g. Blu-ray players, video game consoles, digital media players, a cable/satellite TV set-top box etc.), sink devices (i.e., devices configured to receive an audio and/or video signal such as a TV, a projector, a monitor, speakers, etc.), and/or hub devices (e.g., AV receivers, amplifiers, AV switches, etc.).
A basic requirement for a good viewing and listening experience is that the video content being displayed should be perfectly in sync with the audio content being played back. However, the audio and/or video signals that are transmitted from source devices to sink devices may propagate through different wired and wireless mediums and/or different devices. Furthermore, the audio and/or video signals could carry information in varying formats (encoding formats, compression formats, packaging formats, etc.) due to different hardware/software capabilities of the devices, which may result in different processing durations. All these variables can cause the audio signal to be desynchronized with the video signal (i.e., the audio content and the video content are played back at different times). The phenomenon is commonly referred as “loss of AV synchronization.” If AV synchronization deviates greatly, it becomes easily noticeable, degrading the viewing/listening experience, and annoying the user. If the deviation is small and not easily perceivable by the user, it can still strain the user over long periods of viewing.